"What do you mean 'analyzing' you? Do you really think that I am that bored?"
"Don't treat me like an idiot Grivon. You are insulting my intelligence if you think that you could just get out of this situation with those slimy words.
I make my judgment calls only after I clearly understood the situation.
Every problem you have mentioned in front of me, even if I don't have anything to do with it sometimes, you are looking for my reaction. Of course, you might be looking for my insights, but your utmost priority was that you are looking for my reaction.
You don't know much about me. You don't have enough information around you that could help you understand what kind of person I am.
With the limitations of your knowledge, in your view, I am just a guy who was worthy enough to be targeted by Sivan and skilled enough to survive and even damage Sivan after that. That alone makes it worth it for you to poach me.
But apart from that, you don't know me, you don't understand my intentions, you don't understand my thought process, you don't get why I would trade such technology just for you helping me take revenge.
You are trying to get inside my brain and the start of it, are you trying to understand my reactions to different situations and things, and this time, a thing is an old man without a leg."
Sam smiled after he was done and Grivon stayed silent in his seat, he doesn't know what to reply, he wanted to refute, but he was caught off guard, he was completely blindsided by Sam openly questioning his motives, even though he is not completely right, he is close.
He is indeed trying to understand Sam, but he is not looking for the answers regarding the questions Sam thought he was pursuing, he only needed to know how greedy Sam can be, how rational he can be, how confident he is in his ideas, he wanted to know Sam's emotions, what he cares about, what could invoke sympathy inside him, what would make him angry, what would make him excited.
So, far he didn't find anything.
The biggest emotion Sam has shown him is amusement when he said his problems or irritation when his research was being disturbed.
Apart from that, there is not much emotion. He smiles occasionally, but he was never particularly happy, but he was not particularly sad either, which is weird for a guy who got his body stolen like that.
He just wanted to have a better grasp on a dangerous person who is working with him. He just wanted to avoid risks. But he already got caught.
Sam smiled when he looked at Grivon's expression.
"You don't have to worry too much. You are not the first person that wanted to read me like a book. At least you are trying to be subtle about it, I have had experience with much more direct and blunt approaches.
It is just that you don't have any experience in this, you are not really good at this.
So, if you want to study further, learn first."
He had that amused smile on his face which made Grivon feel a bit embarrassed. But Sam just continued.
"As for the answer to your question, I will make the limb, but bringing the old to me and making him agree to measure his leg is your problem.
By the way, it takes a long time to make this and I need the best of the best artisans who are good at making things precisely.
They should be the epitome of perfection. I don't need artists who are extremely creative, I need tools that would easily learn and adapt faster. If there is even a slight chance, then I wouldn't be able to ensure that the old man wouldn't be angry."
"The thing is, I already made the old man agree, all you need to do is, come out and take measurements and after you are done with the product, you also need to train him a bit to understand how this thing works."
"So, when are we going?"
"We can go anytime you want."
"No better time than now. Let's go."
Grivon led him out of the stray dimension and they went to the Gaja Clan's main estate. It is huge. Massive. It is as big as a small town and it was all for essentially one family.
Sam looked at the luxury and elegance shown in the surroundings, the gardening is something that made him chuckle.
They are using floral sculptures that could be groomed in the garden. It seems like they are extremely obsessed with the looks of the clan.
While they were walking, Sam observed the behavior of the guards, servants, and even some lower-level clan members. All of them saluted to Grivon and there is not a single clan member who just walked past him without greeting him.
It is almost like they have no problems whatsoever between them all the while they are trying to make a mess out of each other.
Sam is currently wearing the black cloak to cover his face completely. If his face was shown within this clan, he would be killed before he could even make a sound to start explaining how he is not Sivan.
After they walked for some time, they finally reached an old shack.
There are a bunch of trees in the vicinity, this place was not as well-groomed as the surroundings. The old man had long hair and a large beard, they are messy, but he is clean. He wore clothes that looked old and ragged, but even they are clean, they were just a bit roughed up.
They walked there and Grivon was the first one to meet with him, he gestured Sam to stop and walked towards him and started speaking in a whisper.
After he was done with the whispering, he gestured for Sam to come.
"You can proceed."
Sam placed his hands on the right leg of the old man as he used an observation ability. He observed the whole leg for every single minute detail and made sure nothing is hidden from him.
But the more he looked, the more surprised he was. He couldn't help but glance at the old man who seemed to have understood his thoughts and just smiled while he slightly shook his head.
Sam looked at him and nodded in understanding.
He finished getting the structure of the leg and then focused on what is left of his left leg before finishing up.
Both of them once again walked out of the estate and Sam couldn't help but ask.
"That old man…" But he was cut off.
"I know, I know. The old man is not as powerful as I made him out to be. He lost a lot of his cultivation. He is not even one percent as strong as he was in his prime."
Sam looked at him in surprise and swallowed the words he was about to say and changed them.
"If you know why are you trying so hard for him. You do know that this limb doesn't fall under the category of the deal we made regarding your businesses.
This is a completely new deal and it wouldn't be cheap."
"I know that too. It is just that man has contributed so much to the clan to be only treated like dirt at the moment. He spent his whole life fighting for the clan, I read the stories and I felt terrified whenever I imagined myself in a situation similar to the one he was in.
And he managed to do that when the clan was not what it is today.
He is the reason why we are lording over like this, but he is but a crazy old man in the eyes of his descendants.
I don't really like that treatment he was going through.
I just wanted to make sure that he gets what he deserves, but since it is a bit too far away from me, I will do whatever I can do to thank him."
Sam couldn't help but smile, but it is not the smile of joy or kindness or acceptance. It is once again a smile of amusement.
This guy wanted to open up to Sam and study him, but instead, he opened up and gave out such an important character trait about him that easily.
"Don't ever become my enemy Grivon. You are such easy prey. Even with all the resources and fighting strength you possess, you wouldn't last a month against me."
"Why is that?"
"You are too empathetic. I am not saying it is a bad trait, but the methods I employ when I am really going at my enemy will make your blood churn and heart go cold. You wouldn't be able to properly think after seeing one of the scenes I will leave behind.
You would be like a mouse trapped in a maze filled with cats, you would be searching for routes to come out of the maze of confusion I create for you, but you will always end up in the mouth of one cat or the other.
Which means, you should be careful in the current battles you are going through."
